High laboratory mouse pre-weaning mortality associated with litter overlap, advanced dam age, small and large litters.

ABSTRACT: High and variable pre-weaning mortality is a persistent problem in laboratory mouse breeding. Assuming a modest 15% mortality rate across mouse strains, means that approximately 1 million more pups are produced yearly in the EU to compensate for those which die. This paper presents the first large study under practical husbandry conditions to determine the risk factors associated with mouse pre-weaning mortality. We analysed historical records from 219,975 pups from two breeding facilities, collected as part of their management routine and including information on number of pups born and weaned per litter, parents' age and identification, and dates of birth and death of all animals. Pups were counted once in their first week of life and at weaning, and once every one or two weeks, dependin

SUBMITTER: Morello GM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7423063 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature